A sound designer, engineer and voice artist, Kirsty will be blogging about Sound Design for Theatre and Film, in particular how to do it on a budget. She will also be sharing lessons learned throughout her career.
Seven Ways To Make the Most of the Quiet Season
Last year I put together a list of activities to make the most of the end-of-year quiet season. Ten Ways to Make the Most of the Quiet Season With another one fast approaching, here’s a few more suggestions. Make time for family and friends Touring schedules and unsociable working hours mean that many of us let family commitments ...A Year of Saying No
At the end of 2017, I made a career decision: I no longer wanted to do theatre sound design jobs that were creatively unfulfilling.Five Quick Sound Design Tips from Game Sound Design
Develop:Brighton, is the UK’s biggest conference for game developers, The one day of the conference is dedicated to audio in games, with lectures from audio directors and sound designers covering everything from how to get the best performance from voice actors, to sound effects creation and video game music tropes. Every year I come away ...The Sound of Steampunk
One of the things which I love most about sound design for audio drama is the opportunity it can bring to create entirely new, fantastic sounds. Sounds for creations or beings that don’t exist in our world.How to Write About Women in Sound
PSN Europe recently interviewed me about my work as a sound designer. Aside from the fact that it’s an articulate, interesting article – thanks to the writer, Tara Lepore – there is one key thing that makes it stand out for me. Although I had the opportunity to mention my work with SoundGirls, and how ...A Chance to Build Each Other Up
Yorkshire Sound Women NetworksIt’s Time to Stop Just Talking About It
It is no longer enough to acknowledge there is an issue. If I want change – if we all want change – we have to take action and encourage the leaders in our industry to do the same.Changing the World: Audio Engineering Society UK #HeForShe Event
Changing the World: Audio Engineering Society UK #HeForShe EventOva Music Studio – Feminism and Female Music Production in 1970s London
One of the most rewarding aspects of being involved with SoundGirls is hearing about (and learning from) the experiences of other members. At the most recent meetup for London and UK members back in January, I met members at all different stages in their careers, working across everything from theatre sound to podcasting. From members ...Five Ways to Make your Freelance Applications Work for You
The best application is always one that’s prepared, relevant and professionally-written. Good luck with all of yours for this coming year.10 Ways To Make the Most of the Quiet Season
December-January is often a bit of a quiet season for the sound industry, so for my last blog for 2017, I’ve put together a list of ten highly-recommended activities to make the most of it.How to be Lucky
Up until recently, I got annoyed when someone described me as “lucky.” I would have said, that where I am in my career today has very little to do with the vagaries of fate, and everything do to with hard work.Audio Guides and Creating Intimate Audio Outdoors
In an ideal world, I would always record all voice overs for a show in a professional studio with a voice booth – usually my own. In the real world, budgets and actor availability often don’t allow for this, which is why I had to record the majority of the voice overs for this project ...Time for a Change
Recently I decided to make a significant change to my business. From the end of this year, I have decided to limit my voice over demo production services to character voice demo production only. I’ve worked hard to grow the voice demo side of my business for the past six years, so it wasn’t an ...Radio Mics and Foley – UK SoundGirls Workshops with the ASD
The UK chapter of SoundGirls had our first shared events with the Association of Sound Designers, in the form of two workshops about very different and equally fascinating sound skills.The Role of an Associate Theatre Sound Designer
Why work as a Sound Associate? For one, if you’re at the start of your career, it’s an effective way to gain Sound Design experience or to work on a particular type of show. It’s also an opportunity to learn from more experienced Designers, and it’s a useful way to build relationships with production companies, ...Running Your Own Race
Focussing on one specific end goal, or career level, as being the be-all and end-all also ignores how much you’ve achieved so far. Making a career in sound, or in any creative field, takes sacrifice and determination. Appreciate how far you’ve come and the successes you’ve had. You don’t get to mile 26 without passing ...The Important Art of Documentation in Theatre Sound Design
When you work on a production, you never really know what sort of life it’s going to have after that initial run or tour. A production you designed two years ago may suddenly get another run, and you realise you need to dig out all your sounds and designs and make them work in a ...Weapons Up: Explorations into Radio Drama
Sometimes an opportunity arises that is such a great combination of your skills and interests, you wonder why you didn’t think of exploring it earlier. My introduction to sound design for radio drama was this kind of opportunity.What I Learned This Week
The need for research before you embark on a location recording session, especially checking if it’s the right time/season/weather to capture the sound you need. He learned this the hard way after standing for several hours late at night (when it would be quiet) waiting for a clock to chime, only to find out the ...What are you going to stand up for this year?
If I want more women to feel they have a place, in general, and in our industry specifically, I have to fight for it. I want to see more women in the sound industry, more active supporters of women working in sound, and more girls and young women actively pursuing careers in audio.The sound of the Elizabethan era: Sound design for Shakespeare’s Sister
The music component of a sound design is an area where a collaborative relationship with the director is crucial. Music is a subjective discipline, and directors can have definite choices about the music they want for a production. Sometimes this feels a bit restrictive for the sound designer as it can mean they have to ...Soundgirls Europe Chapter Tour of The Church Studios
Back in August this year, members of our Europe Chapter were offered a unique opportunity to get an inside look at one of London’s most iconic recording studios, The Church Studios.In Search of the Perfect Whoosh: 5 Great Sound Effects Resources
As a sound designer, my sound effects library is one of my most significant resources. It is slightly insane how much time I devote to finding the perfect whoosh, drone, hit or random squishy sound for my sound design work. I can demo hundreds of versions of the same type of sound for hours, looking ...Theatre Sound Heroes: Overview of the role of a Production Engineer
As shows get bigger, sound systems become ever-more complex. Someone on your team has to make it all work together, and that person is the production engineer.Losing your Footing as a Freelancer and Getting it Back
Losing income, especially from a regular gig, can send even the most level-headed freelancer or small business owner into a slump. However, throwing a pity-party isn’t going to make the situation easier to manage.A Brief History of Theatre Sound Consoles with Autograph Sound
A Brief History of Theatre Sound Consoles with Autograph Sound. A Big Thanks to Peppe Mallozzi for sharing his knowledge with SoundGirls.OrgThe Encounter: A Sound Design Review, Part 2
Last month, I reviewed Complicite’s The Encounter from a sound design perspective. This month, I wanted to get an insider’s view from the sound operators, Helen Skiera, and Ella Wahlström.The Encounter: A Sound Design Review
A man is whispering into my left ear. I turn my head to face him but the guy on my left smiles and shakes his head. It’s not him: my first experience of live binaural sound has confused my ears.Pulling Beauty from Restraint Part Two
Kirsty Gillmore is a Sound designer, engineer and voice artist based in the UK. Sound Design for a Baroque Opera – Part 2Pulling Beauty From Restraint
Monthly Contributor Kirsty Gillmore is a sound designer, engineer and voice artist based in the UK. “Does an opera need sound design?” a lighting designer colleague queried when I told them about my latest job as the sound designer for a re-discovered baroque opera staged in a 19th-century music hall.How to be an Effective Mentor – Part Two
By Kirsty Gillmore This is the second part in a two-part blog about mentoring. You can read part one here. How to be an Effective Mentor – Part One I’ve almost reached the end of my time as a Sound Mentor on The Wizard of Oz at ALRA drama school. We have two more days of technical ...How to be an Effective Mentor – Part 1
By Kirsty Gillmore Teaching is in the air this month on Soundgirls.org! Right on the heels of Karrie’s excellent blog about Paying it Forward, my blog for this month is about my experience as a mentor in sound design. Mentoring is something that I fell into. I’ve always enjoyed teaching, and I paid my rent and bills ...How To Talk To Non-Techies
There’s nothing like an international project where you’re working remotely to highlight the importance of clear communications – especially when you have to entrust the sound play out to colleagues who admit to knowing nothing about sound. I recently worked on a work-in-progress show where the company rehearsed and performed in France and I designed the sound ...Five Lessons from a Career in Sound (so far)
By: Kirsty Gillmore At the end of 2001, I was about to start my professional career in sound. I was 24 with one degree in music and a second degree in arts, a diploma in sound engineering, a bit of experience and a lot of expectations. Almost fourteen years later, my career has thrown up surprises, ...What you’ve always wanted to know about being a Theatre Sound Designer
… but didn’t know one to ask. By Kirsty Gillmore Recently, I was invited to teach a seminar on sound design to the Stage Management and Technical Theatre students at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in London. During the Q&A, I realised the questions they were asking are ones I’ve been answering for most ...How to Say "No"
By Kirsty Gillmore So here’s a revolutionary idea, freelance sound people: you don’t have to take every job offered to you. Whether you’re at the start of your career, changing direction or experiencing a bit of a quiet patch – you can feel that you owe it to yourself, and your bank balance, to apply for every ...Mixing for Musicals
By Kirsty Gillmore Wherever your are in your career, I believe there’s always something new you can learn. It’s a bit of a buzz when you encounter a new skill, then master it for the first time. At the start of this year, near the top of my list of skills-to-learn was mixing large-scale (West End, Broadway ...In Praise of Being Invisible
By: Kirsty Gillmore Earlier this year something happened to me that hasn’t happened to me very often: my sound design received positive praise in two press reviews. If you’re not sure why this is unusual, have a look at any recent big theatre awards for Best Sound. Then look up the reviews for the shows and ...Your Best Sound Design Tool is Something You Already Have
By: Kirsty Gillmore It’s not a mic, a recorder, and it’s definitely not a plugin. The best sound design tools you have are attached to you, your ears. Hopefully, this won’t be news to you. As a sound professional, you’ll have been told, probably repeatedly, by your teachers, tutors, mentors, other engineers and designers that in order ...How to Create the Sound of Murder Without Actually Killing Anyone
I love working as a sound designer in fringe theatre. It’s underfunded, often underpaid and over-looked, and it can also reveal unexpected and rewarding creative challenges. When I say “fringe theatre,” I’m talking about London (UK) fringe theatre, as that’s where I’m based. I know not all cities, or countries, have permanent off-West End (or off-Broadway, ...Do the Hard Jobs
By: Kirsty Gillmore I’m Kirsty, sound designer, sound engineer and voice artist, a native New Zealander now based in London, UK. I’m delighted to be joining SoundGirls.org as a new regular blogger. I’ll be writing about sound design, live and theatre sound and what I’ve learned over my 14+ year career so far. For my first ...